Radcliffe Killings
The Radcliffe Murders is the common name given to a series of murders conducted in two separate townships in West Mainland between May 1974 and October 1979. At least thirteen people, and possibly as many as four more, are counted as official victims of the killings. The killings are named for the two brothers who were convicted for the murders in July of 1980, Roger (b. 6 April 1950) and Barry (b. 9 July 1954 - 20 November 2019) Radcliffe. The names are now synonymous with the murders, but there is evidence, emerging during the trial, that others may have been involved. The killings sparked fierce debate both at the time and afterwards, with some, including a number of high-profile jurists and officials, remaining unconvinced of the Radcliffe brothers’ total complicity. Few doubt that both Roger and Barry Radcliffe took part in at least eight of the killings, based on police statements, witness accounts and a confession by Barry Radcliffe, later retracted, in which he confirmed his and his brother’s part in the murders. The murders have become a part of Georgeland’s popular culture, having captured public imagination through the long timespan of the killings (particularly those of Martin Collins and Alison Staley) and the notorious media treatment of the Radcliffe brothers after their arrest. Background The Radcliffe boys had been orphaned at a young age and brought up in a foster home. During their school years, each had been suspended several times, and Roger had been expelled for assaulting a teacher. Roger spent time in juvenile detention between 1965 and 1967. Roger was an outspoken and aggressive youth who despite this was highly intelligent and literate – he enjoyed reading philosophy and psychology. Barry, by contrast, was proven (much later) to have had an IQ in the high 80s and was subsequently dependent on Roger for support. The brothers were inseparable throughout most of their adult lives. Around 1972, the brothers relocated from their home town of Packer Lake to the township of Point Hobson on the western Mainland coast, approximately 40km from Chipwich and a popular holiday destination. Both worked a variety of menial jobs, unable to find other work. In July 1973, Roger was charged but acquitted of the rape of a 18-year-old local, Sandra Bonnetti. His violent tendencies began to manifest around this time. In early 1974, a co-worker described his temper as “raging” and that Roger was obsessive about cleanliness and order. When a fellow employee (at a café in the town) knocked over a tray and spilled food, Roger apparently threatened her. First and second murders Martha Davis On May 14, 1974, a 22-year-old woman named Martha Davis disappeared while walking on the beach near the township. A police investigation later recovered Davis’ body buried on the beach. A post-mortem revealed that Davis had been murdered by stabbing with a hunting knife. The sand near where her body was buried had been raked back and forth to remove footprints. Later, Barry Radcliffe admitted he had raked the sand after Roger told him to. During the trial, it was revealed that Roger had been sitting on the beach in the early evening when he struck up a conversation with Davis. Amid the conversation he became violent and attacked her. The knife he stabbed her with was carried in a sports bag, and also used for later murders. Criminal psychologists revealed Roger may have deliberately meant to kill someone on the beach, hence why he carried the knife. Police found no connection between Davis and Radcliffe, though because the town was small it was likely they were casually acquainted. Davis’s time of death was established sometime mid-evening on May 12. Sam Schumann During the investigation of Davis’ murder, a second body was found 300 meters further down the beach, this one of Santa Christina local Sam Schumann, who had been reported missing on May 10. Police suspected the murders to be related, and investigations revealed Schumann had been killed with the same knife as Davis. Like the murder of Davis, there were no witnesses with which to establish motive. Later, Roger admitted having spoken at length to Schumann the evening of May 12, but denied killing him. Police believed Schumann had been killed almost immediately after Davis (forensic evidence confirmed this) and that he was likely killed because Roger Radcliffe believed he would be a witness to Davis’s killing. Schumann had been vacationing in the township at the time but apparently did not know Roger Radcliffe. Between the second and third killings, Roger apparently related the story to Barry, and had his younger brother rake the sand away from where Davis’s body was buried. Both brothers returned to the beach and buried Schumann, though the sand was not raked back. Afterwards, the brothers returned home. Third, fourth and fifth murders On the morning of May 13, Radcliffe returned to work but workmates reported he was ‘distracted’ and was sent home early. In the early afternoon, Roger and Barry drove around Point Hobson, apparently in an attempt to find sexual partners. This continued until the late evening, when the brothers met with two English backpackers, Margaret Barrows and Lisa Cohn, whom they met in a backpacker hostel in the town. In 2017 Roger Radcliffe confessed to the murder of Norman Knight at this time. According to Roger, Knight had propositioned Roger in the alleyway and Roger had beaten him to death. Police found Knight's body the following day but other than its location, investigations did not connect the murder to the Radcliffe case. The confession, along with the confession of Alan Proctor's murder (see below) brought the total number of murders attributed to the brothers as thirteen. Roger insisted in his confession that he alone had killed Knight. Around 1am, Barrows and Cohn consented to “go for a drive” with the brothers, and were driven to a point overlooking the bay. Police alleged the brothers, led by Roger, then tied the women up and gagged them, then attempted to rape them before shooting each of them in the head. The bodies were left in the car while Roger drove back to the brothers’ house. The two bodies were then left in the garden shed until they were eventually found on May 18. In the period following his capture, Barry Radcliffe seemed unsure of what had happened, and declared he did not know whether or not he had been involved in the murder. Sixth murder By this point, Roger had apparently become increasingly erratic and concerned that his four murders would be found out. According to his co-workers, Roger did not show up for work on the morning of the 14th and was telephoned at home, only to abuse his manager, Shaun Curry, and threaten to kill him. Curry thought about phoning the police but opted not to, and instead simply returned to work. Roger apparently took this as a slight. Both brothers apparently decided to kill Curry. Curry had been described as “unpleasant” by co-workers and “chauvinistic” by several women working in the café. Barry knew Curry through his work as a cleaner and disliked him – he reported later that Curry had “called him names”. At 5:30 pm, as the café was closing, Roger and Barry entered the café and confronted Curry, who was still there. After a long argument, Barry allegedly punched Curry in the face. Roger then used the same gun he had used to kill Barrows and Cohn to shoot Curry six times. Witnesses (the café was empty, but the street outside and shops on either side were not) reported hearing six shots and then seeing both brothers leave the café and drive away. That evening, the Radcliffes heard a news report that reported the deaths of Davis and Schumann. Roger now declared they would have to escape and the two brothers packed several days food and clothing and opted to leave the township. Police called to the scene of Curry’s shooting had quickly concluded the Radcliffes were responsible and went to his house, but found both brothers missing and the bodies of the backpackers in the shed. A state-wide manhunt was declared. Manhunt Police failed to locate the two brothers. The whereabouts of Roger and Barry Radcliffe is disputed, with witnesses apparently sighting them as far away as Doubledance; most of these claims have been dismissed. On May 16, Roger Radcliffe’s car stopped at a petrol station to refuel – the clerk later recognised Roger from his photo and reported Barry had been waiting in the car. Later that same day, another witness reported both brothers entering his roadside café, where they bought coffee and donuts, before departing. Seventh murder (Martin Collins) On May 18, a sixth murder was reported, the last one for more than five years. 68-year-old retiree Martin Collins was walking his dog through a park in Clearvale, 242 km from Point Hobson, when he was shot dead. The dog was found alive when it was loose. Barry Radcliffe declared to police that he was not present at the time. Police matched the gun used to Roger Radcliffe’s. Witnesses in Clearvale reported seeing men of the brothers’ descriptions over several hours; one claimed that Barry Radcliffe had asked her for a cigarette, but she had none. Between the killings The Collins murder was the last confirmed killing by the brothers until late in 1979. While the hunt for the brothers continued for some time, and they remained on the Most Wanted list, the search eventually petered out and life in Point Hobson returned to normal. Exactly where the Radcliffes travelled in this period is unclear. They did not remain in Clearvale for long after Collins’ murder. In April 1977, Roger Radcliffe arranged to rent a flat with his brother in the town of Wolfham, in the state’s south, under the name “David Shelby”. As Shelby, Radcliffe had set himself up as a carpet layer, but he had no skills in this area. Instead, to make money he apparently grew and cultivated drugs (mostly cannabis) and sold them to local people. Barry claimed later that he had almost never left the flat, and that Roger would bring him food and clothing while Barry attended to the “crops”. This existence continued for over two years. Eighth murder (Alison Staley) On or about the morning of 17th September 1979, local social worker Alison Staley doorknocked in the apartment building on behalf of a local charity. Roger apparently believed her to be a police officer (it is not clear why). When he opened the door, he invited her in and, after a brief conversation, killed her by strangling her. Afterwards, he is alleged to have dismembered the body and taken it to his car. Barry admitted helping Roger to dismember Staley’s body, but denied killing her. Ninth, tenth and eleventh murders The brothers, now convinced police had found them, began to panic. Their “sloppy” attempts to cover their trail was credited by police as the main reason for their capture. Roger drove himself and Barry to the outskirts of the town after Staley’s murder and buried the body (exactly why it was dismembered is unclear). Afterwards, the brothers returned to town. Barry reported that his brother “couldn’t relax” and thought everybody was out to get him. On the evening of September 24, Roger Radcliffe hired prostitutes, Sandra Epsley and Danielle Pinkerton, for himself and his brother, driving them out to a lookout overlooking the town. There, it is believed, the brothers had sex with the two women and then killed them – Epsley was strangled, Pinkerton had been stabbed. Barry admitted killing Epsley but not Pinkerton. Barry also confirmed that Roger didn’t want to pay the women for their services and that this might have been the reason he elected to kill them. The bodies were left where they were when the Radcliffes heard an oncoming car and, panicking, fled into the nearby woods. At 9:20 pm, the car in question, driven by George Clifford, stopped when Clifford saw the two bodies lying by the side of the road. Clifford, a 45-year-old driving instructor, happened to have a car phone in his vehicle and phoned the police, then waited in his car. When police arrived at 9:32, Clifford was dead, the victim of a shotgun wound to the head. Radcliffe’s car, which Clifford had reported, was missing. Police concluded that either Barry or Roger Radcliffe (each claimed it was the other) had doubled-back and shot Clifford as he waited for the police. It remains unclear when Barry and Roger met up again. Barry claimed he drove back to town, but this is unlikely as he had no license and had never driven a car before. Police conjectured Barry had hitched a lift back to Wolfham while Radcliffe drove his own vehicle. There being no living witnesses, police did not immediately connect the Wolfham murders to the others. However, when police investigated the tire tracks from Radcliffe’s car, they discovered a match from the Point Hobson killings and concluded they were after the same killers. Barry and Roger initially returned home (neighbours reported seeing them in their flat on the evening of the 24th), but later drove away sometime before morning on the 25th, when police arrived, having located the brothers based on descriptions of neighbours. Final confirmed murders (Proctor & Green) Roger Radcliffe drove himself and his brother out onto Highway 4, which led away from Wolfham and towards Romphumburg. His intent, Barry reported, was to “start again” in the bigger city where it would be easier to hide. Barry reported that in the car he had expressed remorse about Epsley’s death (but evidently no others) and that Roger had told him to “shut up and let him think.” Barry reported his brother seemed terrified and that he had never seen him like that before. Attack on John Garrett It was on the highway that the brothers encountered John Garrett, a 19-year-old student whose car had broken down. It was approximately 3:30 in the morning on September 25 when the two brothers stopped and Roger offered to help Garrett repair his car. The light was dim, but Garrett later reported feeling that he recognised the brothers. After Roger realised the car couldn’t be fixed, he apparently lost his temper and attacked Garrett, hitting him several times with a makeshift club. Garrett reported Barry joined in the attack, but Barry denied this. Garrett was severely beaten but managed to run away and hide from the pair. Garrett reported that one of the brothers came looking for him but was called back. Garrett ran to the closest settlement, Piersley, and notified the authorities. Death of Alan Proctor As the brothers drove away from Wolfham, they encountered homeless man Alan Proctor, 34, who was atempting to hitchhike towards Santa Christina. In his confession in 2016, Roger Radcliffe admitted Proctor had flagged their car down and Roger, panicked, shot him dead thinking he was a police officer. When asked about the Proctor murder, Barry claimed to remember nothing and police did not have enough evidence to tie the murder to the brothers. The gun used to murder Proctor did not match the ones used by either brother. In his confession, Roger said he used a handgun he had purchased in 1977 but never used, and discarded it into a nearby creek after the shooting. Proctor's murder was the twelfth confirmed to be by the brothers. Death of Willard Green At approximately 7:10 am on the 25th, the Radcliffe brothers arrived in Gateshead, a satellite town of Romphumburg. They entered a service station in the town, where clerk Willard Green was on duty. Roger had pumped petrol into his car but had not been able to pay for it – when Green confronted him, Roger shot him. Badly wounded but alive, Green hit his police alarm and summoned authorities – when they arrived at 7:18, Green was dead. The Radcliffe car was still at the station, and the area was quickly cordoned off. Capture and trial At 8:15 am, local shopkeeper Terry Wales and his wife reported seeing the brothers trying to hitchhike away from the town, but did not stop. Wales said that he heard a gunshot and saw that one of the brothers (probably Roger) had fired a shotgun at the car but missed. Wales immediately drove to a police station and informed them. Police quickly arrived at the scene and were able to follow the brothers’ tracks for about three kilometres overland, until they lost the trail. Barry reported that Roger seemed to have “lost it” completely at this point, and said the two hid in the forest while he tried to calm Roger down. Roger then shot his gun at his brother but missed, leading to a fight between them. The noise attracted the attention of police in the area, who entered the forest with guns drawn and found Barry unconscious and a trail of blood leading away. Barry later claimed to remember nothing after the first shot was fired – he had not been shot. Police were able to follow the trail where they found Roger Radcliffe having passed out some 400 meters further away. Both men were taken to Gateshead Hospital and treated for their injuries, which were not particularly severe. When police confirmed the two men had been responsible for both the Point Hobson and Wolfham killings, as well as those of Collins and Green, the brothers were arrested and charged with eleven counts of murder and two of aggravated assault (against Garrett and Wales). During interrogation by police, Roger Radcliffe protested innocence in all the killings, apparently attempting to blame Barry. Barry confessed to killing Sandra Epsley and detailed his brother’s killings, but some details were later proven incorrect. He also retracted the confession before the trial. Both brothers were committed to stand trial in the Mainland Supreme Court on June 14, 1980. The trial lasted for twenty-six days and saw depositions from dozens of witnesses, though none had witnessed the killings themselves. Prosecutors used Roger Radcliffe’s car, seen at several killings, and his sociopathic nature (diagnosed by a psychologist) as key evidence, as well as the hunting knife and two different guns used in several of the slayings. The case against Barry Radcliffe was less well-defined. The brothers’ defence team claimed that evidence against the brothers in many of the slayings was circumstantial. They cited, for instance, that Sam Schumann was killed on the 12th, yet had been reported missing on the 10th. However, as the case progressed, the team increasingly used Roger’s obvious mental illness and Barry’s intellectual disability as justification for innocence on grounds of diminished responsibility. On July 15, 1980, Roger Radcliffe was convicted of nine counts of murder for the killings of Martha Davis, Sam Schumann, Margaret Barrows, Lisa Cohn, Shaun Curry, Martin Collins, Alison Staley, Danielle Pinkerton and Willard Green. Barry was convicted of the murder of Sandra Epsley and of accessory to the murders of Davis, Barrows, Cohn, Curry and Staley. The prosecution was unable to secure a conviction for either brother for George Clifford’s death, as doubt remained who had shot him. Roger Radcliffe was sentenced to nine life sentences for his part in the slayings, which was later revised after prosecutors appealed to a sentence of never to be released. Barry received a lighter sentence of 30 years, with his aid to police taken into consideration. This sentence provoked outrage among many, who believed Barry to be just as culpable as his brother. Aftermath The killings shocked the communities they took place in, and when the connection was established, the revelation took the wider community by surprise and led to several reports of other murders, either connected to the Radcliffe killings or similar to them. No conviction for either brother has occurred for any other murder, although the Knight and Proctor murders were later confirmed to have been at least Roger's work. Prison sentences To ensure no contact between the brothers, they were imprisoned separately - Roger at Farrow Prison near Lylecity , and Barry at Holgate Prison in Zigit. The brothers were permitted to write to one another, but in 1988 Barry requested his brother no longer contact him and they did not communicate again until after Barry's release. Roger Roger Radcliffe recieved a sentence of never-to-be-released. The state of Mainland abolished the death penalty in 1970; at the brothers' sentencing, Justice Stephen O'Leary remarked that had the murders occurred a decade prior, Roger would have been sentenced to death. In 1986, Roger attempted suicide and was subsequently interned in a special section of the prison for dangerous offenders and those likely to cause self-harm. In 1995, Roger, after fifteen years jail, was said to have begun to show remorse and to have converted to Buddhism. Between 1998 and 2006, Roger was separated from most other inmates due to death threats against him. In 2007 he was assaulted by another prisoner, and returned to protective incarceration where he remains. In 2013 it was reported Radcliffe was now permitted access to news media, denied him since his imprisonment, and that he was writing a memoir to be published postumously. An injuction preventing Roger from speaking to the press was temporarily lifted in 2008 for an exclusive interview with the GBC, in which Roger expressed remorse for some of the killings attributed to him, but adamantly insisted his brother was equally responsible, and that he was not behind all of the murders. On 23 August 2016, Roger published a letter to Alan Proctor's family, confessing to his murder (see above). In the letter he confirmed his remorse over the death and said he wished to offer some level of comfort to the family. Police and prison staff evidently pressed Roger to confess to other murders. The following February, Roger confessed to Norman Knight's murder as well. He has not released further confessions. Police confirmed Radcliffe would not be charged for either Proctor or Knight's murder, due to his never-to-be-released sentence. Barry Separated from his brother, Barry Radcliffe was noted by warders to be a model prisoner. Psychological evaluations, later published, revealed that while he had a low IQ and was highly suggestible, he was not inherently violent or a danger to other inmates. In prison Barry took up gardening, painting and sculpting, and was evidently a talented pastry chef. Unlike his brother, Barry never confessed to any other murders and maintained his brother was the primary culprit. He also maintained that neither he nor Roger had shot Clifford, something his brother also insisted. In 1996, Barry was severely beaten by a fellow inmate and suffered injuries to his skull and ribs. He was transferred to protective incarceration, but returned to the prison community in 1999. Barry never gave any interviews to the media. In 2008, Barry Radcliffe became eligible for parole, but did not apply for it. His laywer, John Baddeley, made a statement to the press in which he said Barry would complete his full sentence. That sentence was completed in 2010. Despite a community-led drive to keep Barry Radcliffe in prison, he was released on July 31 into the custody of a family friend. Barry's whereabouts was known only to police, judges, the state Attorney-General and a handful of others. He was not permitted to travel outside the state of West Mainland or to be unaccompanied in public. In 2013 it was reported Barry had adopted an assumed name, and was living quietly in the state's south. The same report indicated Barry had limited contact with his brother via monthly Skype sessions. Barry died on 20 November 2019 at the age of 65. His death was confirmed by state police, who said he had been living under an assumed name with supervision from family members and close friends of the family. The cause of death was specified as stomach cancer. Roger Radcliffe was permitted to attend the funeral service in Stockton, the first time he had been in the outside world since his imprisonment began (neither brother had attended their mother, father or sister's funerals). Press photographers covered the funeral but were not permitted to approach Roger, though candid photos did appear in the newspapers. On 26 November, the day following the funeral, Roger released a statement through his lawyer which expressed Roger's love for his brother and regret they had spoken little since their imprisonment. Other murders possibly connected to the Radcliffes While prosecutors only charged the Radcliffe brothers with eleven deaths, a number of other murders have been linked to the Radcliffe Killings, with suggestions one or both of the brothers may have been involved. These include: *'Lucy Rudd', an 18-year-old student, disappeared in Point Hobson on February 18, 1974. Rudd's disappearance was never solved, but during the investigation of the first four deaths, Rudd's credit card was found in the Radcliffe house. Neither brother claimed to recollect seeing it before, and in the lack of further evidence, no charges were laid. *'Steven Cape', 19, a student, disappeared and was never seen again on May 20, 1974, in the vicinity of Flat River Crossing, a small village close to Clearvale. The Radcliffes are known to have been in the area at the time. No trace of Cape's body was ever found. *'Melissa Richardson', 17, a high-school student, was attacked and killed, apparently stabbed, in a park in Wolfham three weeks before Staley's murder. Some witnesses reported seeing Barry Radcliffe in the vicinity prior to the attack, but others have maintained the man in question was not Radcliffe. *'Simon Blajovic', 26, a Croatian immigrant and electrician, was reported missing in the area of Gateshead on September 26, 1979. His body was eventually found in the woods near the town in mid-1982. The cause of death was established as stabbing, but police could not connect the killing to the Radcliffes. Blajovic was a keen walker, and police suspected he had gotten lost in the forest, encountered the Radcliffe brothers during their attempt to hide from pursuers, and was killed. As with the other murders above, police could not find enough evidence to justify charges against either Radcliffe brother. In 2016 and 2017 respectively, Roger Radcliffe confessed to the murders of Alan Proctor and Norman Knight, bringing the total confirmed murders to 13. Unanswered questions A number of questions about the Radcliffe Killings remain unanswered. Speculation is rife about the killings, and many, from experts to the general population, have their own theories about the murders. A commonly held belief is that the brothers had an accomplice, who assisted them with several of the killings, particularly those of Martin Collins and George Clifford. Some of the questions commonly posed are: Who killed George Clifford? Both Roger and Barry Radcliffe have vigorously maintained they did not kill George Clifford in his car on the night of September 24, 1979. Each of the brothers has claimed that they did not commit the murder, and while initially blaming the others, during the trial they each claimed the other was innocent as well. This has led to some speculation of a third murderer. The shotgun wound to Clifford's head was made with the same type of shotgun as Roger Radcliffe's, but forensic tests failed to prove it was an exact match. Opponents of the accomplice theory rebut the claims by pointing out that Radcliffe purchased his gun in a gun shop in Wolfham, and that anybody could have bought the same type of gun. The theory of a third killer is given some credance by several reports which claimed a "tall, dark-skinned man" was "lurking" in the woods around the site where the two women and Clifford died. Both the Radcliffe brothers are relatively short and fair-skinned. Another report had a man of similar description to the above talking in a phone booth near the lookout, seen by several people in their cars. Some of these reports mention he was holding what looked like a shotgun. Some have reported seeing a third person with the Radcliffes on several occasions. During the manhunt between the fifth and sixth murders, several witnesses reported seeing the Radcliffe brothers either on foot or in their car with another man, with an appearance described as "dark", though not by all witnesses. This gives some credence to the theory of a third killer. Furthermore, during police interviews, Barry Radcliffe referred several times to "Eddie". He claimed "Eddie" had told him to help Roger cover up several of the murders and that "Eddie" had threatened him several times. When asked who "Eddie" was, Barry seemed unsure, referring to him as "Roger's friend." Roger denied all knowledge of any such person, and Barry, under further questioning, claimed not to know anybody by that name. Some people believe that "Eddie" was a (possibly false) name for the accomplice, who met the brothers in Wolfham or while they were on the run. Critics of the third killer theory claim that the brothers had no reason to protect "Eddie" when they were arrested, and ask why they did not implicate him in the murders. In an exclusive 2008 interview, Roger elaborated on the confusion around Clifford's death. He stated categorically that while he did not kill Clifford, there was no accomplice and he believed Barry had done it, probably in an attempt to win Roger's approval. Roger said he had never known anyone called Eddie that he could recall, and said he believed Barry was either lying or confused, possibly mistaking past events with the present. Regarding reports the brothers had been seen with a third person, Roger said they never had an accomplice but that they had at times been walking near other people by co-incidence, and on one occasion had driven a casual acquaintance. These facts may account for the sightings of a third suspect. Sam Schumann's disappearance Schumann was a native of Santa Christina, and was reported missing by his wife on May 10, 1974. Schumann had been to Chipwich on a business trip but never returned. Many have wondered why Schumann was in Port Hobson. Also, he was reported missing on May 10, yet forensic evidence clearly gave the date of his death as May 12. One theory is that Schumann had gone to Port Hobson to conduct an illicit affair with someone, possibly a work colleague he had met at the conference in Chipwich. The conference had been held on May 8, and Schumann definitely attended. Some witnesses reported he left the conference with a young woman. It has been suggested the two drove to Point Hobson, 40km away from the conference site, where Schumann was murdered. However, police failed to trace the young woman concerned or even verify her existence. Schumman was unknown to the people of Point Hobson, and no witnesses reported seeing him. This has suggested to some that he had been in hiding and had only emerged for a walk on the beach shortly before being murdered. During the trail, Roger Radcliffe's defence team attempted to prove that the early report of Schumann's disappearance cleared Radcliffe of his death. They postulated that Schumann's murder was unrelated to the others and that the presence of the body on the beach was mere co-incidence. However, this theory ignores the forensic evidence showing that the knife used to kill Schumann was the same as that used to kill Martha Davis. Defence lawyers claimed Radcliffe hadn't murdered either one, but the argument was unsuccessful. Police failure? Criticism has been levelled at the Mainland police (as they then were) for failing to apprehend the Radcliffe Brothers until five and a half years after Martha Davis's murder. In the immediate aftermath of the killings, both in 1974 and 1979, questions were asked concerning the apparent incompetence of police in allowing the brothers to "disappear" for over five years. The faces of the two men were circulated to all departments, and their car should have been easy to trace; nonetheless, the brothers were successful in evading police, at least until after the second series of murders in 1979. Criticism of the police investigation continues to this day. Some have suggested a deliberate failure to catch the brothers, though no serious explanation has been offered as to why this might have happened. Most agree that a combination of surprise, poor communications and Roger Radcliffe's natural cunning prevented the brothers' behind captured until after the last murder. It should be noted that in the wake of the Radcliffe brothers' first disappearance and the second series of murders, police improved communication procedures and enacted a series of reforms to prevent repeats of the situation in the future. To date, while there have been many unsolved murders, including several serial killings, the Radcliffe brothers are the last serial murder suspects to have evaded police capture for more than a few weeks on the Mainland island. Popular culture The killings, horrific and traumatic as they were, nonetheless have become part of Georgeland's popular culture. The towns of Port Hobson and Wolfham are still associated with the murders. The names of the Radcliffe brothers are synonymous with the serial killings, and to "do a Radcliffe" is a Georgeland slang term for evading the police for a significant period of time while continuing to break the law. The killings have been featured numerous times in popular culture. Some examples: *In an episode of Here Isn't the News in 2006, host Robin Edmonds mentioned the Radcliffe Killings as part of a long list of crimes supposedly committed by the politicians involved in the Civic Bank Scandal, along with the Great Train Robbery and the JFK Assassination. *An episode of police drama The Force which aired in 1987 featured two brothers committing a series of murders very similar to the Radcliffe Killings. *Rock group The Bandits dedicated their 1980 album Bittersweet Sunday to the Radcliffe victims. The album also featured the song Cry for the Fallen about the killings. *A (highly dramatised) version of the killings, focusing on the police investigation, The Murder Boys aired on Georgeland television in 1990. See Also *Timeline of the Radcliffe Killings Category:Georgeland Category:Events